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Saturday, January 22, 2011

Poaching Statistics — HSUS Style

by Steve Sorensen(Originally published in the Warren Times Observer, January 22, 2011.)

Why would the HSUS say anything to imply an equivalence between hunting and poaching?

The radio ad says over 100 million animals are killed by poachers each year. That number comes from the Humane Society of the United States and it can't be true.

Here it is, directly from the HSUS website: "In the United States, wildlife officials estimate that for every animal killed legally by hunters, another is killed illegally, amounting to perhaps more than 100 million wild animals poached each year."

These days, we hear so many big numbers that many people tend to accept them without question. But I have a few questions.

The first one is simple: "Really?"

Think about it.

If the HSUS is correct, and if those 100 million poached animals are averaged equally among the 50 states, Pennsylvania would lose about two million animals to poachers each year.

No one knows exactly how many animals are poached in Pennsylvania, but it's far less than two million. Jerry Feaser, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, says that "on average, about 1,000 individuals are added to Pennsylvania's revocation list for hunting and trapping license privileges annually."

If all 1,000 are poachers, and if each poached 10 animals, that's only a tiny fraction of two million - one half of one percent.

That leaves 1,990,000 unsolved poaching cases in Pennsylvania. I have more confidence in our wildlife conservation officers - and the general public - than that.

My second question - where does the HSUS get its outlandish poaching estimate? Feaser said even he wonders about that.

Answer: I think it comes almost totally from thin air.

Somewhere in the 50 states, there is probably a jurisdiction where a wildlife official believes that as many animals are illegally poached as legally killed. Or maybe it's a limited locale where, in a limited time frame, a busy poaching ring was busted.

It's a simple thing - but a very wrong thing - to extrapolate any such numbers to every jurisdiction in the United States. If it could be true, then there are, on average, roughly 30,000 poached animals in each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.

Every hunter, every wildlife conservation officer, anyone who knows anything about it can tell you that doesn't happen - even if you include notorious outlaw 10-year-olds with BB guns (and we have far fewer of them than we've ever had.)

The Humane Society of the United States can't back up its estimate of 100 million poached animals. And they won't try because it's not true. No scientific, legal, mathematical or environmental evidence can show that it's true. No indication of any kind exists that poaching happens on such a massive scale.

My third question - If it's not true, then why does the HSUS say it? The "why" question is always more difficult, but I have an opinion.

When the HSUS says 100 million animals are legally killed each year by licensed hunters and 100 million more are illegally killed by poachers each year, you'll notice an equivalence in the language.

It's intentional.

The equivalence between the numbers can, by the unthinking, be extended to an equivalence between hunting and poaching. The HSUS, an organization that opposes even legal hunting, would like people to think that poachers are hunters and hunters are poachers, even though no equivalence exists between hunting and poaching.

Poaching is not hunting and poachers are not hunters.

Hunters oppose poachers and the actions of poachers are contrary to hunting. Poachers rob hunters and everyone else. Poaching and hunting are totally different. And hunters are happy when poachers get caught.

Why would the HSUS say anything to imply an equivalence between hunting and poaching?

It's because they'd like to end both. Here's the HSUS policy statement against hunting: "As a matter of principle, The HSUS opposes the hunting of any living creature for fun, trophy or sport because of the animal trauma, suffering and death that result."

Isn't it interesting that the HSUS has a policy statement against hunting, but no statement against poaching? To the HSUS, hunting and poaching are the same.

Why do I say that?

Because if they had a policy against poaching, they'd have to differentiate poaching from hunting and they don't want to do that.

I'm like comedian Dennis Miller on this one - "I could be wrong, but I doubt it."

16 Comments:

Anonymous said...

HSUS lies about everything they say. Their real goal is to eliminate all animals by having them die off. They want us all to stop caring for and about animals so that we just observe them from a distance as they starve to death. One can see that from the thousands of horses HSUS laws and other animal rights factions caused by eliminating humane deaths for horses.

The author is correct, I use to work for HSUS, but when they told us to leave the dogs behind in their crates after hurricane Katrina, I knew something was wrong. When our Director told the judge to kill all the puppies we had just saved in a dog fighting operation, I was sure the HSUS was wrong. But, I kept going to the workshops and noticed that they became all about being part of the group by becoming vegan and hating anyone who owned or bred animals. These people are zealots who do not care about animals as they no longer accept the fact that we need animals and they need us to survive as a species. They believe animals cause global warming, therefore, they must no longer be on this earth. I began to read up on all of these things that Wayne spouted as crimes or why we should do this or that and found that he was twisting facts and in most cases lying. For example, 89% of hunters do so because they use the meat to supplement their meager salaries and keep their families fed. As for dog breeders 98% of them are not substandard and HSUS and PeTA made up this hate term "puppy mill" for slandering all dog breeders. He is pushing laws that make it harder for anyone to buy or breed a pet based upon less than 2% who do the job poorly. Like the Nazi's did to Jewish shop owners they picket and slander pet shops to put them out of business not because they have done anything wrong but because they can push the public's button and in doing so they get more money. Well stop being duped into this hate speech put out by HSUS and PeTA. Because what they plan for this world is not a world you will want to live in. NO PETS, NO MEAT, NO EGGS, NO DOMESTIC ANIMALS and NO MEDICINE AT ALL. This is Wayne's World and he wants you to hate anyone who eats meat or uses any medicine to treat your illness that came from animals. Now the real philosophy behind this insane new religion is the power to tell other human beings how to live. This is what the workshops are all about forcing others to comply through fear of being called an animal abuser. Hitler used it and so does Wayne. His hate speeches are rampant and subtle in their disguise, but no less deadly for the animals and the human beings. Everyday more and more dogs are killed by HSUS passed laws than ever passed through the shelter doors. Limits on how many you can own, killed thousands as people were forced to choose between their pets to turn over to shelters. Mandatory spay and neuter laws have killed over a 500 hundred thousand as the poor must give up their pets as they cannot afford the high cost of spaying and neutering. Yes, he will tell you that there are low cost spay and neuter clinics, but not enough for the vast majority. Most people who are required to spay and neuter do not realize that some of the best pets actually come from the mating of two family pets who are already proven to be healthy and of the right personality. In fact some breeds of dogs are so low in numbers now that they could be declared an endangered species if they were wild animals. This idea of wild versus domestic is being used to eliminate all domestic species even domestic reptiles are being killed off by the animal rights brigades who use the mantra of they ought to be in the wild when they never were. Don't give to HSUS or PeTA as these people want no pets, no meat, no medical research they are clearly insane. I can tell you this first hand, having worked for them during my stupidity phase of listening to their cries about tortured and abused animals. But their real mantra is better off dead than living in a warm home with a loving owner. You have to get pass their lies to see the truth and in the workshops they say if you say it long enough and loud enough people will believe anything. Check their stats and check what their actual outcome is and in every case every law. We can do better than to give to HSUS which gives no money to care for the animals. Give locally and fight HSUS.

HSUS is famous for making up numbers. Another good example is how they love to brag about how they have 11 million members. Really? Their tax return sure doesn't reflect that, it only accounts for a little over 400,000. Either the HSUS is lying or that's one major case of tax fraud.

HSUS does not operate a single pet shelter and does contribute any of their millions to pay for spaying and neutering for those who cannot afford it. I certainly cannot afford the $285 my vet charges for a dog neuter - and the spay/neuter clinic wasn't much cheaper. Their tactics have also lead to the growth of blackmarket puppies coming across the Mexican border - puppies that are too young and carry diseases/parasites not yet established in the US. I live near the border. I have seen some puppies they have sold.

Maybe the HSUS is counting in road kill :) they are silly like that. They always seem to come up with wild numbers. The low IQ and easily persuaded people who believe the HSUS. Must have very low math skills along with their other lack of skills. Because if you even follow briefly their numbers of shock. You would have to conclude all Americans are a bunch of animal abusing, murderous freaks. Who all need to be regulated and stopped.

I found a very interesting web site about veganism . Even Gandhi found it a very bad diet and considers anyone who tries to force a vegan diet on citizens of India are enemies of India http://naturalhygienesociety.org/diet-veganbaby.html

Reading it it makes you feel HSUS and vegan friends are trying to erradicate the human population.

Dont let your children become vegan. It is extremly dangerous and will make thier hair fall out.

They have convinced a wide percentage of the public that the norm in domestic animals is abuse, for instance. They talk continuously about animal abuse, as if it was the only model for animal husbandry. They have never heard of a dog breeder, or a pork farmer, for instance, that wasn't an abuser.

The reality is that the norm in animal husbandry, in animal ownership, is conscientious care. Abuse by any normal definition is as rare as militant AR vegans. But well cared for animals are no use to them, they need all the abuse they cadn find, or manufacture - and they wouldn't have to manufacture it if it was even half as common as they claim it is.

Their goal, in truth, is to eliminate all human-animal contact, and they desire the extinction of domestic animals. But if they said that openly, what support could they hope to get?

So they obfuscate, confuse, fantasize and sometimes just lie. They know the truth would get them no support whatever.

Hi, I know first hand about several cases of the Nazi type attacks in Tx. I used to run a Rescue Group & was a Vet Tech for 15 years. I have loved animals my whole life & still do!!! I noticed 4 years ago SPCA Trucks driving out here in the country, an hour from their Shelter & every week, same day I would notice him sitting at each Farm's or Ranch's driveway, exploring. Then I was visted, He went past my NO-TRESSPASSING sign & then I had to prove my innocence, which I did. Then I started hearing from numerous people & from a nearby town, that the Animal Shelter Control Officer told me that they had just confiscated 9 Healthy Horses because their pond had algae in it, He couldn't believe they could do that. Also in Tyler Texas an elderly couple had only 6 Sheep & One Dog, well they were attacked, no notice & they were taken away in hand cuffs like common criminals because their sheep weren't sheared yet, it wasn't time. But the worst part of the story is the elderly man's dog was a SERVICE DOG for his Epileptic Seizures & THEY EUTHANIZIED HIS DOG!!! Well after 3yrs & Lots of animal seizures, they now have a new 4 Million Dollar Shelter. It's all about the money now, as per a previous employee with them, who talked to me & my Vet, He was watching numerous pets being Euthanized immediately!!! Check on the story of Kerney's Feed Store & Farm as to what happened to them in the town of Sunnyvale, Tx. Why is this happening & no-one is watching them? Also, How does the HSUS/PeTA group still get away with not turning over their income reports to the IRS Audit from 2 yrs ago? They made over 500 Million Dollars back then & We still don't even have a Animal Shelter or Low Cost Spay/Neuter Clinic in my town? Also note that they have been out here long enough that the USDA Office nearby, that a woman I spoke to there said they are extremely worried about all the Dairy Farms now. On hunting Deer & etc, my father always hunted one Deer every year to feed us because we were poor & he was a Carpenter & couldn't always work in the winter, he always got his license, legally to do so. And I truly believe that Poaching is wrong & against the law for the Wild Deer's protection also. Please People wake-up & Smell the Coffee, alot of our American Rights are being slowly taken away from us!!! Freedom is our American Right & God Bless Us All. *(PS) Thanks for allowing me to speak up Anonymously, I have been afraid to. I appreciate your Blog, Thanks!!!

You can't refute claims made by an organisation using your own assumptions and feelings... Put some stats on the table, argue from a position of knowledge instead of riling up what is clearly a hunting community.

No, Roger. Read it again. The mathematics makes the HSUS claim impossible. Those numbers are on the table.

And you have it backwards. The HSUS has the burden of backing up its own claim. The HSUS doesn't automatically get the presumption of credibility just by making a claim. It's the HSUS that cannot back up the statistics it cites. It hasn't and it won't because it can't.

The other day I was talking to an official licensed Pennsylvania Game Commissioner. He stated outright that without hunting animal populations would be just fine... This was in a conservative rural area as well. Fact is fact.

"The other day I was talking to an official licensed Pennsylvania Game Commissioner. He stated outright that without hunting animal populations would be just fine... This was in a conservative rural area as well. Fact is fact."

Well, Mr. or Ms. Anonymous, you really don't know what you're talking about. There is no such thing as "an official licensed Pennsylvania Game Commissioner." A person who serves on the Pennsylvania Game Commission is certainly an official, but he or she does not have a license. I sincerely doubt you were talking to a member of the Board of Game Commissioners. Were you talking to a Wildlife Conservation Officer (WCO)? Calling a WCO a "Game Commissioner" is also incorrect. And there is no "license" to serve as a WCO.

Besides being uninformed on these things, you should know that the opinion of a single person -- whomever you may have talked to -- is not the official position of a state game agency.

Clearly, if you in fact did talk to somebody, you don't know who you were talking to, nor do you know the qualifications of that person to speak. And that person was just plain wrong.

Here is the fact: The herd reduction program of the PGC, begun in 2002 to address the overpopulation of deer and their negative impact on the habitat, has clearly served to improve the habitat. It's ignorant to say that we can eliminate the primary predators (man) which target large prey animals (deer) and all wildlife will do just fine. They won't do just fine. Every wildlife biologist knows that deer will destroy the habitat not only for themselves, but for most other animals they share it with. Deer, for their sake and the sake of other wildlife populations, need to be hunted.

What HSUS is actually trying to do is inform people about the animals, hunting, and poaching. Poaching is actually a ton like hunting. I know everyone else says differently but I know. I am a researcher. Research shows that the HSUS is right and you are wrong. Poaching is the illegal act of killing animals without a license for food, money, body parts, bones, teeth, etc. All of you should open your eyes and start reseaching for a different answer if you think differently. But, I tell you the HSUS is true and is not lying. END OD STATEMENT.

Leaving to a trophy hunter to try and explain away the murdering of innocent animals. Trophy hunters like to blame the wolf for the killing of animals, when in reality poachers and trophy hunter killing 20 time more. Wolves kill to survive, no malice involved, humans do it for the blood lust as they have no respect for the environment.